"The crossfit community is very tied to the military and law enforcement communities, so it makes sense for us to get involved," said Camille St. Onge, who is an elements coach at CrossFit Finish First in Olympia.

CrossFit Finish First is preparing to host the Northwest Battle of the Beasts this August and test the strength, determination and heart of crossfit athletes from not only their gym, but from Oregon, other areas in Washington and Canada.

"We decided that when we did this competition that we would support our military members and all of the warriors at Joint Base Lewis-McChord by giving a portion of the proceeds to the JBLM Fisher House and the Wounded Warrior Project," St. Onge continued.

The competition, which is part of the national Garage Game series, will take place on Aug. 3-4 at North Thurston High School, 600 Sleater Kinney Rd. in Lacey. Although the specific WADS haven't been released yet - in order to maintain an element of surprise according to St. Onge - there will be individual men and women events in both RX and Scaled divisions, as well as RX two person teams (same sex).

Presently, they expect to have 200 competitors, many of whom are active duty servicemembers stationed at JBLM, and a crowd at least twice that size watching and cheering on the crossfit champions.

The event, which be held outdoors in the football stadium, will begin with the individual competitions at 9 a.m. on Saturday and then with the team competitions at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Spectators are also welcome and entry is free. Donations for the Fisher House and Wounded Warrior Fund will also be collected at the information both the day of the event.

So far, sponsors include WODLife, WODTalk, Quest Nutrition, Susan Berman Photography, Girls RXd, Northwest Kettlebell and Cabela's. There will be food, clothing for sale and other vendors on site too.

"We are very fortunate with the sponsors but of course there is always room for more," St. Onge added.

CrossFit Finish First is located at 2825 Marvin Rd. NE in Olympia. For more information on the event or the gym, call (360) 791-9894 or visit www.crossfitfinishfirst.com.